Scope and Contents Official Historical Photos Project of the Berrien Historical Foundation. Berrien County Historical Foundation: Berrien County, Georgia Historical Photograph Collection. Online photograph collection downloaded from SmugMug on May 5, 2025. Includes over 16,000 photos on many subjects, including Berrien County High School, local businesses, sports events, churches, farming, timber and turpentine, family photo collections, and much more. This photograph collection is...

Scope and Contents Oral history interview with L.A. "Stick" Nelson, July 10, 2003. Nashville (Ga.). Fieldworker: LeRoy Henderson. Audio file digitized from cassette tape. Part of the South Georgia Folklife Project at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections. Topics include family history and turpentining.Subjects: Georgia; Oral histories; Sound recordings; African Americans; Turpentine; Naval Stores; Turpentining; Turpentine industry and trade; Nelson, L.A. (1905-2004); Nashville...

Abstract The Old Berrien Newsletters series consists of seventeen issues produced by the Berrien County Historical Foundation between 2007 and the present. The newsletters document a wide range of topics relating to the history, culture, and development of Berrien County, Georgia, and the surrounding Wiregrass region. Each issue focuses on a single historical subject, drawing on archival research, family papers, oral histories, newspaper accounts, and local...

Scope and Contents This issue of the Old Berrien Newsletters focuses on two distinct areas of local history: the preservation of a mile-long stretch of the original 1908 Nashville to Tifton Road in Berrien County, Georgia, and the reactivation of the Berrien Historical Foundation. The document describes the physical characteristics of the preserved roadbed, which still reflects its 1908 construction standards, and highlights the renewed public interest in local history that contributed to the Foundation’s...

Description This issue focuses on “The Last Hanging in the Old County Jail,” documenting the 1909 execution of Marshall Lewis in the Berrien County Jail in Nashville, Georgia. The newsletter recounts the murder of assistant postmaster Clifford Rutherford during a burglary in Lenox on April 26, 1909, Lewis’s arrest, trial, confession, and execution. It includes extensive excerpts from The Nashville Herald describing the investigation, the public response, and the legal proceedings leading to the July 9,...

Description This issue traces the full history of Nashville’s New Opera House and the later Majestic Theater, located on the south side of Courthouse Square. Built in 1912 as a three-story opera house above the Nashville Herald offices, the building hosted stage vaudeville acts and silent films accompanied by piano, organ, or small orchestras. The theater struggled with attendance and underwent multiple closures, name changes, and owners—operating at different times as Sweat’s Opera House, the DEAL, and...

Description This document investigates the local legend of the Gator Children of Berrien County, Georgia, confirming their existence and shedding light on their challenging lives. These two siblings, Madison (Mattie/Matt) and Bettie (Betty) Cook, children of Jack and Melissa M. Cook, were afflicted with a severe form of ichthyosis, a genetic skin disorder characterized by dry, scaly skin, deafness, unusual teeth, and limited mobility, often requiring them to crawl. From at least 1905, their parents...

Description This issue examines the history of “Blind Tigers” in Berrien County—local terms for individuals or locations engaged in the illegal sale of liquor during the early twentieth century. Drawing on The Nashville Herald, The Tifton Gazette, and other contemporary newspapers from the 1900s–1930s, the article traces how “Blind Tigers” operated through hidden wall openings or deceptive admission schemes that allowed alcohol to be “given away” during prohibition. The newsletter recounts major raids,...

Description This issue traces the history of the Nashville Bottling Works, beginning with its origins in 1905 when Homer J. Hall and Jackson Whitehurst established a small bottling operation in Sparks and began selling soda to customers in Nashville. By 1906 the plant moved permanently to Nashville under Joel I. Norwood, whose popular “High Life Ginger Ale” became a regional favorite. Ownership transitioned several times before Benjamin A. Deal Jr. took over in 1912 and expanded the business with...

Description This issue examines the planned development and eventual decline of Nashville’s “Grand Avenue,” the ambitious civic vision laid out in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Centered on West Avenue and anchored by the 1898 brick Berrien County Courthouse, the newsletter traces how early city planners intended a broad, impressive boulevard lined with banks, public buildings, and the Nashville Public School (completed in 1904). The issue charts the rise of significant structures along the...

Scope and Contents This Fall 2025 issue of the Old Berrien Newsletter focuses on the history of early Berrien County through the lens of postcards dating from the late nineteenth century through the post–World War II era. Articles discuss the earliest known street scenes of Nashville, the development of downtown architecture, the impact of the naval stores industry, and the rise of postcard culture following the 1898 postal regulation changes. Topics covered include the 1909 view of Davis Street, the 1910...

Scope and Contents This issue centers on oral history as a vital method for preserving Berrien County heritage. It recounts the editor’s earliest interview experience and shares narratives drawn from family memories, rural life, and local traditions. The newsletter highlights interviews conducted with long-time residents, including recollections of education, farm work, and community events. It also provides practical guidance and tips for planning and conducting oral history interviews. Additional sections...

Scope and Contents The Family of Francis Marion Shaw is a non-profit newsletter published semi-annually, or more frequently, for the benefit of the descendants of Francis Marion Shaw and his wife, Rachel Moore Allen Shaw. These are the newsletters published for the Family of Francis Marion Shaw and Rachel Moore Allen. The first newsletter was published in 1993 and have been published semi-annually each year since. ...

Scope and Contents The Family of Francis Marion Shaw Newsletter, Special Civil War Edition, May 1993. From the Berrien County Historical Society Collection at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections.This issue of the newsletter recounts the military service of Francis Marion Shaw, who was conscripted into the Confederate Army in 1864 at the age of eighteen. Serving in the Florida Reserves, Shaw was wounded during a skirmish at Cedar Key, Florida, where a minie-ball shattered his...

Scope and Contents The Family of Francis Marion Shaw Newsletter, Volume 1 Number 1, January 1993. From the Berrien County Historical Society Collection at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections.The issue honors the life of Francis Marion Shaw, a Confederate soldier who lost his right arm in the Civil War, and his wife Rachel Moore Allen Shaw, highlighting their resilience, compassion, and legacy. The newsletter includes family group sheets, biographical sketches of descendants,...

Scope and Contents The Family of Francis Marion Shaw, Volume 1 Number 2, May 1993. From the Berrien County Historical Society Collection at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections.This issue focuses on the life of Jesse Shelby “Dock” Shaw, the son of Francis Marion and Rachel Moore Shaw. Raised on the family farm in Ray City, Georgia, Dock married Susie Bullard and together they raised eight children while managing a 200-acre farm. Known for his humor, kindness, and dedication,...

Scope and Contents The Family of Francis Marion Shaw, Volume 2 Number 1, January 1994. From the Berrien County Historical Society Collection at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections.This issue focuses on the life of Francis Arthur Shaw, the eldest son of Francis Marion and Rachel Moore Allen Shaw. Arthur married Martha Victoria Giddens, whose life was marked by the social stigma of her illegitimate birth, and together they had two sons before Victoria's untimely death in 1889....

Scope and Contents The Family of Francis Marion Shaw, Volume 2 Number 2, January 1994. From the Berrien County Historical Foundation Collection at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections.This issue centers on the preserved love letters of Chester D. Shaw, the youngest son of Francis Marion and Rachel Moore Allen Shaw. In 1895, Chester left his home in Ray City, Georgia, and traveled to Louisiana, where he wrote heartfelt letters to family and especially to Louannie Webb, the...

Scope and Contents The Family of Francis Marion Shaw, Volume 3 Number 2, October 1994. From the Berrien County Historical Society Collection at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections.This article describes the first Shaw family reunion held in Ray City, Georgia, on July 24, 1994, which aimed to reunite fragmented family branches. The newsletter emphasizes the joy and importance of these gatherings for sharing memories and strengthening intergenerational bonds, even featuring a...

Scope and Contents The Family of Francis Marion Shaw, Volume 4 Number 1, January 1994. From the Berrien County Historical Society Collection at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections.This issue focuses on Ida Jane Shaw, the second child and first daughter of Francis Marion and Rachel Shaw. Born on June 19, 1868, in Ray City, Georgia, Ida Jane married W. Bartow Parrish on June 29, 1884, and they established a farm near Possum Branch. Despite being blessed with seven children, she...